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The number of deaths from whooping cough has doubled, according to the latest data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. In Poland, no one has died because of this in recent years. This shows that our vaccinations are effective.
The increase in whooping cough is a problem in Europe, especially in Germany. Whooping cough in 2016 killed twice as many children in Europe as in 2015. There were no deaths in Poland. Vaccinations used in Poland turned out to be more effective.
According to the information published in June 2018, over 2016 people fell ill in the EU in 48. people. Most often, these were infants under the age of one. In Europe, 26 people have died from whooping cough and its complications, including 19 infants and 7 elderly people. This is twice as much as the year before. There has not been a single death in Poland.
A killer cough
You can catch pertussis when you are near a sick person who spreads bacteria through the respiratory tract. The disease causes paroxysmal cough that lasts even more than a month, which disables you from normal life. It is so intense that it causes vomiting, is extremely exhausting and does not let you sleep. Toddlers may develop apnea. Frequent bouts of coughing with apnea carry a risk of exhaustion, and prolonged hypoxia carries the risk of irreversible changes in the brain. In people with cardiovascular disease, such persistent cough may result in a stroke or heart attack. Hernias can be another harmful consequence. Whooping cough is sometimes the cause of secondary bronchitis, pulmonary and meningitis. It can lead to cerebral hypoxia and even kill.
The bacterium is fighting to survive
Scientists around the world show why the incidence of whooping cough is rising despite immunization. According to the expert Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski from the Institute of Infection Prevention, there are several reasons. Among other things, the bacterium, as a result of herd immunity obtained thanks to vaccinations, began to mutate and changed its structure in such a way that vaccinations may be less effective. In addition, the replacement of proven vaccinations in many countries, the so-called full cell with its new version, the so-called cell-free, with a different composition, the vaccinated – although they do not get sick themselves – can carry the pertussis bacillus and infect sensitive people from the environment. The variant that has been available for years contains whole cells of inactivated bacteria, i.e. hundreds of antigens present in the pertussis cells. Newer vaccinations include only selected parts of the cell – from 1 to 5 antigens. For this reason, post-vaccination reactions are somewhat less frequent, but antigen protection is narrower. In addition, post-vaccination immunity after the whole-cell variant lasts about 10 years, and after the acellular variant – 5 years. The increase in the number of detected cases may also be the result of better diagnostics and effective reporting.
Poles no longer die of whooping cough
In the second half of the 90s, many countries withdrew completely or partially vaccinations with a whole cell component in favor of more expensive acellular vaccinations. In our country, 2 vaccination schedules are available to choose from: free full-cell vaccination and full-paid acellular vaccination. Many parents use their own money to buy a fully paid variant of vaccination due to the smaller number of injections needed. Meanwhile, research publications indicate a higher risk of whooping cough in children who received a cell-free preparation as part of the primary vaccination. The enthusiasm for the widespread introduction of acellular vaccination as a more convenient alternative is less obvious.
Vaccination calendar – full protection
Specialists emphasize that due to the fact that our vaccination calendar still reimburses the full-cell vaccination variant and is still chosen by about half of the parents, we have not recorded the death of a child due to whooping cough for many years. Experts in the field of epidemiology add that in view of the increase in pertussis incidence, it is necessary to implement the current vaccination program and to further increase the percentage of the vaccinated population, as well as to administer booster doses in adults. Consult your doctor about the choice of primary immunization of your child.
Let’s not give up whooping cough
Research shows that if 90 percent of people are vaccinated against the disease. people from the region, the outbreak is extinguished. However, this immunity disappears as the vaccination rate decreases. In Poland, the last compulsory vaccination concerns fourteen-year-olds, which means that when they enter adulthood, they often lose their immunity. Therefore, booster vaccinations are recommended for adults. It is equally important to vaccinate people who have frequent contact with infants and young children. First of all, family members should be vaccinated. It would be good if people professionally working with children, employees of neonatal and pediatric departments, as well as people working in nurseries and kindergartens, also vaccinated.